Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore factors that can influence on the police officer’s perception of the effectiveness of the performance management system (PMS). This study examines the effect of the attitude of employees and causal relationships between organizational/individual factors and the effectiveness of PMS during the implementation process. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a nationwide online survey of 10,619 police officers in South Korea. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze multiple relationships simultaneously. The authors constructed a baseline model and also examined an alternative model in order to increase the model’s explanatory power. Findings Police officers’ perception of the understanding of the PMS, manager’s concern, participation and performance information (PI) usage exerted significant effects on the perceived effectiveness of the PMS. However, the relation between understanding of the PMS and PI usage was not significant. The study identified organizational and institutional settings for the success of the PMS. Overall, results support findings of previous studies that suggest an important role of common consensus on performance indicators and agreement between managers and employees. Research limitations/implications While the data size of this study is quite large, it should be considered that the respondent’s preferences on the PMS might have influenced survey results. Findings are limited by the use of a cross-sectional design. Future studies may investigate changes in causal relationships over time by employing a panel design. In addition, various survey items related to the practices of the PMS within the police organization need to be included in future studies. Practical implications To improve the effectiveness of performance management in the police organization, decision makers and managers must emphasize behavioral aspects of the system, especially the causal relationship between practices and perception of the usefulness of the system. Originality/value Despite the wide use of PMS in police management practice, police officers’ perception of the effectiveness of these systems has received little attention in the field. This study indicated a causal link between the factors in the PMS and the perception of the police officers.

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